How important is it for you to provide this for underprivileged students?
It’s huge for me to help all kids, kids are our future if we give them all the tools they can do anything they want in this world. For me, it’s trying to put kids in the right situation, and give them the opportunity to succeed in whatever field they choose.
Did you have many educational experiences such as the one that you're currently providing growing up in SC?
I went to a private high school, my parents received help from a lot of anonymous donors that I’m truly grateful for. It’s cool that I’m in the position to help kids do the same thing that was given to me.
How was the educational system for you growing up before you went to private school?
It was rough, I went to public school up into seventh grade my parents felt like private school was going to help me be a better leader so they stressed a private school education. It was a dramatic change for me, but I needed it for college, and for after college.
What's the difference between Public and Private School?
It was different, in Public school you have everyone from your neighborhood, and the surrounding neighborhoods, it was fun, but going to private school is different, you have all these types of kids from all over Charleston that were all about their education. It was a huge change for me and it took me a while to adjust, but looking back it was the best decision that I made.
Do you think that if
It was a complete transition from inner city schools to the rural countryside, this school was a turning point on respective of my previous school's education, the school curriculum was alien to me as was agriculture, school sports, cross-country running, the teacher that taught Agriculture, also taught Physical Training. It's hard to explain, coming from the inner city, and all of a sudden you’re plowing your first furrow with a cultivator, this was a totally new concept for me, the school had a snack bar that opened twice a day, and all in all, school was not too bad after all.
years off and on with other students and their parents. Unfortunately, I had quite a bit of freedom
Throughout High School, I led multiple philanthropic projects. As president of the Ignite Organization, I involved students to raise funds for, and volunteer at a pregnancy center. I assembled a team of volunteers, and initiated fundraisers. This effort transpired over a year and continues to affect my community. I also developed a supply-drive to assist Hurricane Sandy victims through benefit events. Furthermore, I volunteered at summer camps as well as at my Parish as a counselor.
I have been in the Putnam City Public School system since Pre-K. I had all my friends around me. At one point, my sister and I went to the same school, which was bizarre since we are six years
I went to a public school; it was very expensive and competitive. My school hours were very short and I didn’t have enough time to go out with my friends except on weekends. My friends were mostly girls in my class, I stayed only in one class for the whole day, and every day is the same classes, which is very different from this country. My teachers were very hard, the reason why I said that it’s because teachers were allowed to beat students up with their belt and leave marks on them. When you late, you have to get spanked with a late, in order, to go to your class.
I decided to go down a different route and go to a school that no one from my grade school was attending. I ended up at Maria High School on 67th and California an all-girl Catholic high school which was predominately African American and Hispanic. It was an entirely different environment for me. The hallways were filled with girls some of the teachers were nuns. Girls were speaking Spanish and others were speaking Lithuanian. I had friends from all different backgrounds and cultures but I still did not know who I was or identified as.
When I was in the fourth grade, I moved from a small Lutheran school of 100 to a larger publicly funded elementary school, Lincoln Elementary. Wow. Lincoln was a big school, full of a thousand different attitudes about everything from eating lunch to how to treat a new kid. It was a tough time for me, my first year, and more than anything, I wanted to
I grew up an only child in a small, nurturing community. I attended a small private school through 8th grade with the same people from the time I was in nursery school. However, when I enrolled in a larger public high school, I expanded
Winter break was around the corner, and I had made each child a small plaque with their name on it. As all of the children gathered around to collect their plaques, one student said “I'm going to keep this forever.” That's when I realized, moments like that is why I do this. When I finished my degree at Cortland, I became a family life specialist at The Children's Home of Wyoming Conference. In this position, I taught, and provided care for underprivileged children, who had nowhere else to go. While there, I started a craft club, took children to the library, taught them life lessons, and took care of their general well- being. There are many stories to tell from the two years I spent there. Although some memories stick out more than others. I will never forget one of the little ones that I had a special bond with. She was having a very tough day at school one day, and would not settle down for any of the teachers or our staff. Other measures were going to be taken, when I asked if
As I headed to college and started to focus on my future, I took part in many programs hoping to gain experience in many fields. I volunteered at Brookdale Hospital in the nursing home unit and worked closely with the nurses. Participating in their daily work and working as a team to care for the patients, really intrigued me to the environment. Being around like-minded people, serving others, propelled me to pursue a career in the medical field.
In the lower grades, I had scarce responsibilities and privileges. I did not get to switch classes. There were very few clubs or afterschool activities. The teacher would teach every subject you learned. That is not as favorable because the teacher may not be really good at all the subjects. The work was not challenging. I did not enjoy that at all. The work was quite boring when it was uncomplicated. The teachers did not have high expectations on my work.
Going to public school was out of question because it was just terrible in terms of education. The teachers didn’t show any concern to students and just gave them “free” grades. Therefore we peregrinated to a private school. I never knew how to feel because I was so out of place when I used to go to the school. When I didn’t speak Russian and I was called on, I was laughed at.
I attended a small, private Christian school from kindergarten to eighth grade. The majority of the kids were like me, white, and from the same economic background. We are wore uniforms, making us even more similar. My friends from the barn went to the public school down the street where they were not required to wear uniforms. By the fourth or fifth grade we stopped playing together in the dirt pile after school. We went our separate ways as we grew further and further apart.
From pre-school till sixth grade I was in private school that was co-ed I switched to four different private schools since I was younger. For pre-school I went to St.Micheal which was an experience to have been able to encounter. Being able to learn about religion, other languages, and different cultures. Going in to kindergarten till third grade I went to St. George it was a good
classes. From kindergarten to 5th grade I was in regular classes. Then from 6th grade classes